Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: "Today we welcome our mighty new warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, to her home for the very first time.

"She is Britain's statement to the world - a demonstration of British military power and our commitment to a bigger global role.

"The thousands of people across the UK who have played a part in building her and her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, should be immensely proud as our future flagship enters Portsmouth.

"She has made good progress in sea trials and will now embark on the next phase of preparations that will see the return of Britain's carrier strike ability.

"When she enters service she will help keep Britain safe at a time of increased threats, able to fill multiple roles from providing air power anywhere at any time to fight future campaigns, supporting allies or delivering humanitarian aid."

A flotilla of craft followed the behemoth aircraft carrier as she sailed into the Solent before heading into Portsmouth, where, at its narrowest point, there was less than 66ft clearance on each side.

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Prime Minister Theresa May visited the carrier today and hailed it as a symbol of the UK as a "great global maritime nation".

She added: "Britain can be proud of this ship and what it represents.

"It sends a clear signal that as Britain forges a new, positive, confident role on the world stage in the years ahead we are determined to remain a fully engaged global power, working closely with our friends and allies around the world."

Crowds gathered to wave the warship in as Commander Darren Houston said "Good morning, Portsmouth".

There were also two separate flypasts of Royal Navy helicopters - the first featuring a Sea King, two MK2 Merlins and two MK3 Merlins - which were then joined by two Hawk jets.

Speaking on board as the vessel sailed in the English Channel, Captain Jerry Kyd said he is feeling a "huge amount of pride" ahead of the vessel berthing in her home port.

Quizzed on whether he thinks aircraft carriers such as HMS Queen Elizabeth put the UK in the Naval premier league, he added: "It sends the right signals to our allies and indeed potentially to our enemies that we mean business.

HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH IN NUMBERS

Top speed - 25 knots up

Length - 920ft

Weight - 65,000 tonnes

Food on board - 45 days worth

Pipes - more than one millon inside the ship

Flight deck size - 230ft by 920ft - the equivalent of three football pitches

Man power - 28 million hours spent designing and building the carrier

Parts - 17 million

"The armed forces are fundamentally an insurance policy for the country and you can't just, at the flick of a switch, decide that you need these capabilities.

"You have to buy them, work them up, train them, integrate them with the rest of defence so they're ready to be called upon when required. You can't just buy it off the shelf.

"Yes, it costs money, but it is all about having the right investment and having the right equipment for the hundreds, if not thousands of young men and women that go to war on behalf of the nation.

"It is absolutely an obligation of the taxpayer to ensure we have the right equipment.

"Of course when Henry VIII built Portsmouth, it was designed for ships the size of Mary Rose so we have had to make a few little changes to make sure we can fit in and be supported there."

During her estimated half a century working life, the 280-metre vessel can be pressed into action for various work such as high intensity war fighting or providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

Two crew members watch Spinnaker Tower as they arrive in Portsmouth this morning

Preparations for the ship's arrival saw more than 3.2 million cubic metres of sediment removed from the harbour to ensure the entrance is deep enough to allow the giant ship to access the Hampshire base.

During the dredging, more than 20,000 items were removed from the sea bed including eight cannons, an aircraft engine, 36 anchors, a British torpedo, a German sea mine, five large bombs and a human skull - which was passed to local police.

Mark Deller, Commander Air on HMS Queen Elizabeth, said the four-acre flight deck is a capability the Navy has not had before.